Immigration and changing labour force structure in the Southern European Union

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AbstractThis short paper considers how very rapid growth in immigration flows may have shaped changes in the structure of the labour force in Spain relative to that of the other southern countries of the European Union (Greece, Italy and Portugal) plus France (a traditional immigration country). We consider the processes at work in each sector of economic activity, distinguishing those where native-born labour is being replaced by foreign labour, those characterized by a combined increase of the two, and those that appear to be more of a national workers’ preserve. The findings show that Spain, Italy and Greece share similar characteristics, different from those of France and Portugal, attributable notably to rising educational levels among the young and much higher female labour force participation compared to previous generations in these countries.